Sloppy Somersworth gets past Tigers

SOMERSWORTH — The Somersworth High School boys basketball team didn't exactly put on a clinic during Tuesday night's game against rival Farmington. But the Hilltoppers got the job done.

The depleted Hilltoppers overcame poor shooting and a large number of turnovers for a 45-37 Division III win at McLin Gym. It was the first of two meeting between the two clubs.

“A win's a win and we're glad to get out of here with that,” said Somersworth senior guard Drew Francoeur. “We just have to start playing a lot better, doing the small things a lot better — playing better defense and rebounding much better.”

Francoeur (10 points) and Somersworth's Kevin Clougherty (12 points) led all scorers as the Hilltoppers snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 8-3. Farmington fell to 5-6.

“It's where we're at right now,” Somersworth coach Lorne Lucas said. “We have to do four things — play really good defense, (get) defensive rebounds, take care of the basketball and get a shot every time down.”

Somersworth struggled in all four aspects on Tuesday, but took the lead for good on a Clougherty 3-pointer with just under a minute left in the third quarter, breaking a 27-27 tie. Somersworth led 30-29 entering the fourth quarter and expanded its lead to five when Isaiah Gaddy and Francoeur hit jumpers to open the final frame.

Points were at a premium early as the first quarter ended in a 6-6 tie. Things picked up in the second, which featured five lead changes, and Tony Proulx sent the Hilltoppers into the locker room with a 23-21 lead after hitting a 3-pointer with three seconds to go in the half.

The Tigers were led by Shane Hill with nine points and Juan Valdez with eight.

“We just couldn't score tonight,” Farmington coach John Simmers said. “We tried a lot of different mixes and tried some other guys tonight. And rebounding. Even though they had 45 tonight, a lot of times they got four or five shots. You cannot give up that many rebounds.”

Farmington tied the score twice during the third period — a putback by Austin Healey that knotted things at 25-25 and a layup by Kevin Radcliffe that made it 27-27 — but never took the lead.

“Some of our shots weren't falling,” Valdez said. “We just couldn't find a way to score. They were pushing the ball on us. We just have to practice our offense and try to get back on defense.”

Somersworth was without senior forward Tyler Kretschmar, who is out indefinitely with a leg injury. Two Somersworth players — seniors Jon Cronshaw and Darren Glore — were recently dismissed from the team for what coach Lorne Lucas called “community-related issues” not related to their conduct on the team.

“Guys who were JV kids are playing major minutes,” Lucas said. “That's how it's going to look. But if we play defense and take care of the ball, we're going to be OK.”

Another jumper by Clougherty gave Somersworth a 38-32 lead, its biggest of the night, with just under four minutes to go in the game. On a night when points were so hard to come by, that was plenty for the Hilltoppers to keep Farmington at bay. The teams traded baskets, then Clougherty hit five of eight free throws down the stretch to put the game on ice.

The rematch is scheduled for Feb. 19 in Farmington. In the meantime, both teams return to action Friday. Somersworth is at 9-2 Campbell while the Tigers host Sanborn.